To treat the local church properly, we must learn from Christ. He Himself has said,“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matt. 11:28-29).

In the same way, the apostle Paul urges that the Philippians have the mind of Christ for one another: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5-7). The apostle John says,“He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6).

So put on the mind of Christ for the church. Think about the church like Christ thinks of her. Behave in the way that Christ behaves. Love in the way that Christ loves.

Why must this point be emphasized? Because generally, you cannot get a right pattern for loving the church from Christian culture. Most people do not get it from their families because it does not exist. Most people cannot get it from their best friends because they too are confused about the church. You must get it from Christ. There is no better place to go than to Christ, who loved the church.

As I look across the landscape of modern American evangelical churches, I see an ever growing disease - a lack of love for the church. Most who gather in modern churches do not mirror the same zeal that the Lord Jesus Christ had for the church.

This book serves as a study guide for a series of messages considering Christ’s love for the church and how we ought to love the church. In these messages, the speakers, with Scripture alone as their foundation, extol the indispensability and the glory of the local church and explain the way that we relate to the local church.

These messages are an attempt to speak biblically about church life. We want to clearly establish with what a local church is, how a person fits into it, and how a person should be faithful to it. Most importantly, we desire that you have the mind of Christ regarding the church.

Our prayer is that we will see a rising movement of Christians who love the local church and who will give their lives to promote Gospel-centered, Christ-exalting, evangelistic, and Bible-saturated churches.

Do you love the church? Your answer to this question says a lot about you. Particularly, it shows how well you understand the heart of Jesus Christ towards His Church.